Tag Archives: Role Model

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1. Your name, title, and age? What do you do (or did you do) for a living?

Annette Johnson, The FLY Coach. FLY is an acronym for Forgive and Love Yourself. I am 53 and I provide life coaching to women who are experiencing significant life transitions. I work with the organizations that serve women to develop and deliver tailored coaching and professional development training programs.

2. Who was the person that inspired you as a child to eat healthy and stay fit? What was their relationship to you?

It was my grandparents, Charles and Irene Reed. They helped to raise me.

3. What did they do to inspire you?

They provided for me and showed me the true meaning of home. My grandfather taught me how to save money and took me to open my first savings account with rolled pennies. My grandmother was a very loving woman. I suffered from asthma as a child and they both made sure that I received extra care. My day started with a hot breakfast. Before I ate breakfast, I was given a teaspoon of cod liver oil to build my immune system against colds.

4. How did their lesson change your life?

It taught me the importance of self-care. When I became a mother I did the same thing for my daughters. As an adult, I still practice the things they taught me as child. Having a hot breakfast is still how I start my day. I raised my daughters that way and they continue to do the same thing as adults.

5. Do you convey their message to kids in your life presently?

Their message was love. They showed me unconditional and continuous love in everything they did for me. That is the message I continued to share with my daughters. They were a big influence on how I mothered my daughters. Love was not just a verbal message. The message of love was shown in how I communicated with them, treated them, and cared for them. I added a double dose of love in everything from the meal I prepared to the kiss goodnight.

6. What would be your main message to children today to lead healthy lifestyles?

My message is to eat healthy and start your day with breakfast. Take a multiple vitamin and vitamin C everyday. Eat lots of fresh vegetables and fruit. Get at least eight hours sleep each night. Take care of your mind, body and soul every day. Get your annual physical and dental visit. My daughters never had a cavity and still don’t and they are in their 20s.

7. Do you have a web site you would like to promote….web address only?

1. Your name, title, and age? What do you do (or did you do) for a living?

Colette Baron-Reid, bestselling author of numerous books, published in 27 languages, latest release Weight Loss for People Who Feel Too Much, intuitive coach and life strategy services, CEO and founder of The Invision Project and The Invision Lab.

2. Who was the person that inspired you as a child to eat healthy and stay fit? What was their relationship to you?

I had no role models at all. In fact, I grew up with a dysfunctional relationship to food. My mother was a Holocost survivor and came close to starving during World War II, so there was always a sense of potential doom we had to control. I was bulimic since age 14 and yo yo dieted for 30 years. I had to find my own way to find peace with my body and food.

3. What did they do to inspire you?

I was raised to believe that there may never be “ enough”, I had to find others who lived in “enough”, but I was surrounded by young women who felt they too would never be enough. So, my inspiration came to do the opposite of what I was exposed to.

4. How did their lesson change your life?

I had to come to terms with the knowledge that peace with food and my body had to come through mindfulness and surrender. I lost 70 pounds refusing to diet anymore, and chose to be enough and love myself regardless of temporary conditions.

5. Do you convey their message to kids in your life presently?

I don’t have kids.

6. What would be your main message to children today to lead healthy lifestyles?

Never compare yourself to others. We are not one size fits all. Most of what you see in media is airbrushed to the point of being impossible to attain and unreal. You are perfect as you are. Your inner beauty shines through and becomes your outer beauty when you choose to love yourself – stop fat talking, stop bullying and celebrate your uniqueness.

7. Do you have a web site you would like to promote….web address only?

It is my passion to help people live pain free and to maintain a supple, healthy body.

2. Who was the person that inspired you as a child to eat healthy and stay fit? What was their relationship to you?

I began dance at the age of 6. It was certainly my dance teacher who inspired me as a child to eat healthy and stay fit. “Your body is like a car. If you don’t put the right petrol into it, it wont work very well” is what she said once. My dance teacher was someone I looked up to in regards to all areas of my life. She taught me discipline, confidence, health, fitness, and the passion to be the best.

3. What did they do to inspire you?

My dance teacher would constantly inform us about “pushing ourselves” to be the best. Working hard, practicing constantly and maintaining a healthy fit body. I found her inspiring because she was so successful with her business, you could see that she loved her career, and she always looked super fit and healthy.

4. How did their lesson change your life?

My dance teacher certainly did change my life. I am very grateful towards her and all that I learnt from her. I would not be the business woman that I am today if it weren’t for her. I would not be so focused on my fitness and health if it wasn’t for her. My passion and confidence are both so high due to the fact that i saw that in her throughout all my years of dancing in her company.

5. Do you convey their message to kids in your life presently?

When I use to teach dance, I most certainly did. I mainly work with clients who are in their late 20s – 60s now. However, clients are always asking me questions about health and fitness. They want to know how much fitness they should do per week, and what the best eating plan would be for them.

It is extremely important that children learn how to eat correctly at a young age, because these days there are so many preservatives and chemicals added to foods, and so many children eat take-away foods which are so high in fat and sugar. Also children these days use more technology during the day which means they are sitting down a lot, and therefore they dont get very much physical activity throughout the day.

6. What would be your main message to children today to lead healthy lifestyles?

It is important to look after your body. You only have one! So start now whilst you are young and maintain a healthy diet and fitness regime all throughout your life.

Its also important to remember that fitness is also good for your mental health and not just physically. A plant-based diet is best for the body. I recommend trying to eat steamed vegetables for breakfast with a poached egg and baby spinach leaves on top. Also try to have one – two freshly squeezed vegetable and fruit juice each day, and make sure you add lots of green vegetables to it! Try to cut sugar out of your diet as much as you can, as sugar creates many diseases in the body which you will suffer from as you become older. A good tip is… if its not food that will go rotten after a week, then don’t eat it! Try not to eat packaged food, and instead enjoy the freshness of your fruit, vegetables, meat and fish.

7. Do you have a web site you would like to promote….web address only?

1. Your name, title, and age? What do you do (or did you do) for a living?

My name is Nicole Plummer. I am 31-years-old and I am the CEO and founder of E Fitness Hub. I am also a martial arts coach and have been teaching for for 17 years. I currently hold a 4th degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and a 3rd degree black belt in the style of Robert Duzoglou Combative Arts (RDCA).

2. Who was the person that inspired you as a child to eat healthy and stay fit? What was their relationship to you?

I have had many people inspire me to live healthy and stay fit, but I would have to say that my parents have been my biggest role models for me. They did not just talk about the importance of a healthy lifestyle but they also live by example. Both my parents made it a point to exercise on a regular basis and eat healthy.

3. What did they do to inspire you?

One of the things that my parents still do is walk on a daily bases together. In addition to their time together walking, my mom has been attending fitness dance classes since before I was born and my dad does weights and yoga. My parents always made it a point to get me involved in many athletic activities growing up. That is how I got involved in the martial arts and eventually went into competing and earning several World Titles, multiple black belts and
was featured on ESPN II for the martial arts US Open.

4. How did their lesson change your life?

My parents have always been great role models for me and they have shown me how important it is to live by example. Living a healthy life style is something that was passed down to me and now I get to share that with the students I teach on a daily bases. I work with kids and adults as a martial arts/fitness instructor and just as my parent lead by example, it is also important to me that I lead by example for the the students that I teach.

5. Do you convey their message to kids in your life presently?

Yes, my parents message of living a healthy lifestyle is something I pass on as a martial arts/fitness coach. Now I have currently launched a website called E Fitness Hub that allows people to search for service providers in their area so that they can meet their health and fitness goals. People will be able to find everything from sports coaches to fitness trainers to health/wellness specialist.

6. What would be your main message to children today to lead healthy lifestyles?

Stay active, eat well and have fun! Find an activity that you enjoy. Be a great example for others around you, not just in health and fitness by in everything you do.

7. Do you have a web site you would like to promote….web address only?

1. Your name, title, and age? What do you do (or did you do) for a living?

My name is Brian Guadagno, I am 35 years old and I am the CEO/Founder of Raw Elements USA – Natural Sunscreen. I have been an Ocean Lifeguard since 16 years old. That experience drove me to develop my own line of natural sunscreens, choosing to stay away from chemical products.

2. Who was the person that inspired you as a child to eat healthy and stay fit? What was their relationship to you?

Growing up in an Italian family household, meals were always very important happening. My parents always put a great deal of effort into preparing food at home and us eating together as a family. Eating good quality food that was good for us was taught to me at an early age. Being active and involved in many different sports and outdoor activities was just as important as schooling to my parents and they devoted endless amounts of time supporting myself and my sister in this way. Looking at our family all these years later, we are all thankfully very healthy and fit.

3. What did they do to inspire you?

Besides how they raised me as a child, I think what they are currently doing in their lives today is what is truly inspiring. Three years ago, I changed my diet to predominately whole food, plant base. I never thought that it would be something that I could do or would ever do. Initially, I met resistance from my family as we grew up on meats, etc. After some time and some research of their own, my parents have also made this switch in their household today. To see my Italian, Baby Boomer generation parents make and maintain that lifestyle switch is extremely inspiring to me.

4. How did their lesson change your life?

Being taught how important quality meals were and to be grateful for such always kept eating and foods very crucial to my well being. While the foods we were raised on 25 years ago may not necessarily be the same foods we are eating today, the value and attention to our meals has not changed.

5. Do you convey their message to kids in your life presently?

I believe it’s safe to say that my parents convey the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle to kids considering they have both dedicated their entire lives as educators, school teachers.

6. What would be your main message to children today to lead healthy lifestyles?

It’s important to be active, to socialize and play activities with other children outdoors. Play sports, learn the activities that you enjoy, discover the activities you do not enjoy. Eat your vegetables! I was told that throughout my entire childhood, though I often didnt listen! Vegetables are good for you, just watch Popeye! Drink a lot of water, not soda and energy drinks, there is too much sugar and other ingredients that are not good for us.

7. Do you have a web site you would like to promote….web address only?

1. Your name, title, and age? What do you do (or did you do) for a living?

My name is Joe Pepe, I am a 24 year old fitness specialist from Philadelphia. I specialize in weight management, sports training, and fitness education. I also write articles for STACK magazine, Livestrong, and Ehow.

2. Who was the person that inspired you as a child to eat healthy and stay fit? What was their relationship to you?

My father was my inspiration when it came to fitness. It wasn’t your typical role model however, he was a construction worker. At a very young age he showed me the value and honor of working with your hands. He would bring me to work and I would do the small jobs like sweeping, or setting up little things, and I would watch him carry bricks, lift them overhead, help lead a group of men to finish a project. His biggest worry was that he always wanted me to use my brain as well and not waste away throwing blocks around all day like he did. I realized at that point the amazing feeling it was to be strong enough to do those task.

3. What did they do to inspire you?

He knew how important soccer was to me (I was aiming to become a soccer player, and actually made it to the minor leagues at one point). He knew I would need fitness and he decided to buy me some fitness equipment and some free weights. From that moment on I was hooked on fitness, I was in the basement everyday working out. At first I had no idea what I was doing, so he decided to subscribe to a few fitness magazines. This is when I became obsessed with building routines and this is where I learned how eating played a major role in what my goals were at the moment. I tried to absorb as much as possible, I would rip out every article I thought was important, I would highlight certain lines, and add it into one of my two binders (Nutrition & Fitness).

4. How did their lesson change your life?

My father was never a big motivational speaker. He would show me what to do by his actions. He showed me what hard work was as a child. I learned responsibility not just for myself, but for a group of coworkers. This helped me immensely with my soccer teams and now with my coworkers, and my clients in the gym. The biggest message I learned from my father is what has made me successful in soccer and in the fitness industry. The lesson I learned is that while I am resting and relaxing someone out there is becoming better than I am. This just showed me I had to work not only on my strong points, but my weak points as well. Also eating healthy fell into this category as well, because every time I would go to eat poorly, I would think what if my opponent is eating better and therefore has that slight edge now. This advice would always help keep me on track.

5. Do you convey their message to kids in your life presently?

I coach soccer from age 4 and up. I like to convey this message to the older students of mine, but with a little twist. I tell them that if they want to make it to their goal they have to always look to progress. That being good isn’t good enough because eventually someone will come along with more talent. That in any field they decide to go too they would need to realize that their maybe someone with more talent than them. However they cannot be outworked. It will come with trial and error to find the right workout program, the right diet to guide you to success, but if they decide that their fitness dreams are that important then they will not be outworked.

6. What would be your main message to children today to lead healthy lifestyles?

My main message is to find what you love and continue down that path. Some people enjoy Crossfit, others Zumba or a different style of fitness. Every style of exercising is a great style because it has you active. You just need to find what you love and learn everything about it. It will make working not fun, instead of a chore.

7. Do you have a web site you would like to promote….web address only?

1. Your name, title, and age? What do you do (or did you do) for a living?

My name is Leslie Reichert and I am a “green” cleaning coach. I’m 55 years young.

2. Who was the person that inspired you as a child to eat healthy and stay fit? What was their relationship to you?

I actually wasn’t inspired to eat healthy until I turned 40. Prior to that I would live on coffee and diet coke during the day and eat a large, carb filled meal in the evening. I was always physically fit and never really connected the dots about my eating habits until my health started to fail in my early 40’s. I’ll give my daughter’s the credit for inspiring me to take a bigger interest in my diet and overall health.

3. What did they do to inspire you?

My daughters are both athletes. They played varsity soccer in high school and went on to play in college. They are both extremely disciplined in their eating habits and workout schedules. I’m amazed that young women can be so focused. I love how they always make healthy choices and realize that even one day of poor choices can affect their athletic careers.

4. How did their lesson change your life?

I was athletic in high school but definitely took it for granted. I never thought that my poor eating habits would have an affect on my health as I aged. I also was affected by toxic cleaning chemicals that really disrupted my immune system. I think that my girls actually learned from my mistakes and it had changed all of our lives.

5. Do you convey their message to kids in your life presently?

I am considered an expert in green cleaning and healthy living. I work with school systems and have created a curriculum that combines science, history and logic to show people that they can live better without chemicals. I speak around the nation to children about how toxic chemicals in cleaning products and food can affect their lives and the lives of their families. I’m trying to change the world – one spray bottle at a time.

6. What would be your main message to children today to lead healthy lifestyles?

Children are so open to my message. I love going into schools and working with their science teachers to explain that we don’t need chemicals in our lives. And the kids get it! They are actually the ones that go home and share my message with their parents. The kids are the messengers.

7. Do you have a web site you would like to promote….web address only?

1. Your name, title, and age? What do you do (or did you do) for a living?

Oscar Agramonte, Fitness Trainer/Martial Arts Instructor

2. Who was the person that inspired you as a child to eat healthy and stay fit? What was their relationship to you?

My father. He always had this thing he said to me and my brothers, “It’s all in your mind.” If we didn’t want to do something because we thought it was difficult, he would respond, ‘It’s all in your mind.” If we starting crying after falling down, “It’s all in your mind.” As a child, I sometimes thought of this in a negative. I would think that my father was cold or distant. He didn’t show too much emotion. Looking back now, I know my positive attitude has a lot to do with what my father’s ‘mantra’ instilled in me as a child.

3. What did they do to inspire you?

If you want to do anything in life it has to start with the belief that you can do it. As a child I was more of a bookworm than into sports. But, I clearly remember in high school deciding that I wanted to get in shape after seeing a picture of myself at the beach. I told my dad I was going to start working out. That in the next few months I would be able to do 50 solid pushups and 100 sit-ups. His response? “Of course you can, it’s all in your mind.” Of course me being a teenager, I thought my father’s mantra to be well-worn or cliched by this point. We both knew I thought so. I would roll my eyes and he would say, “I know you’re 15 and think you know everything already.” But I truly did believe I could do anything that I put my mind to and I know that had a lot to do with my father repeating ‘It’s all in your mind” throughout my childhood.

4. How did their lesson change your life?

What started as a simple goal of getting into shape so that I could do a set number of pushups and sit-ups has become a life long obsession. I workout everyday. I train clients in fitness group classes and private sessions. I teach at a martial arts school owned by my wife who has been involved in health and fitness for her whole life. But even more important than that is my attitude. I have sought and researched books on health, fitness, personal well being, selling, success, time management. And they all have somewhere a theme of, ‘It’s all in your mind.”

5. Do you convey their message to kids in your life presently?

I am lucky to teach kids 4 times a week at Wah Lum Kung Fu. Kung Fu means hard work and sometimes kids these days are not used to that. Many don’t understand that they have to work hard in order to improve. I’ve had kids over the years think that they couldn’t do a particular move or exercise, and I have found myself telling them, “Of course you can, it just needs to start in your mind” in some form or another.

6. What would be your main message to children today to lead healthy lifestyles?

We are living in a time where children spend so much time watching tv, on the computer, on their phones or tablets. They are always focused on something other than themselves or what is going on around them. The first step in getting healthy is the have a healthy attitude. If they believe positively in themselves then they will take action to lead a healthy life. I love the quote from Charles Swindoll, “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.” Or I guess you could say it another way, “It’s all in your mind.”

7. Do you have a web site you would like to promote….web address only?

1. Your name, title, and age? What do you do (or did you do) for a living?

Kahshanna Evans, Director of Public Relations, I’m old enough to drink but not old enough to retire!

2. Who was the person that inspired you as a child to eat healthy and stay fit? What was their relationship to you?

As a tween my Girl Scout leader, Gail, was a nurse. She made homemade yogurt and was always eating really healthy. I remember smirking at the food she ate thinking it was strange, cheeseless and just didn’t look as appealing as hot dogs and Mc Donald’s french fries. She encouraged our entire troop to plan healthy meals for camping trips and other outings. I remember eating baked apples on our camping trip to Joshua Tree. I think just the idea was seeping in. She was my secret second mom, but it took years for me to understand her enthusiasm about eating vegetables and drying her own fruit. To me Gail was the ultimate health hippie.

3. What did they do to inspire you?

Gail was persistent without seeming pushy. If we were having trendy snacks with preservatives or candy she’d nibble on some granola, fruit and yogurt. This in addition to hiking and lots of walking everywhere we went. We often giggled or exchanged glances with each other wondering what on Earth motivated her to eat such boring food. We made yogurt bars one day which was fun. To our surprise the yogurt held it’s own shape and transitioned to yogurt bars rather easily. It was fun, like an experiment so I really enjoyed the process of making them although I don’t remember being as excited about eating it. It still planted seeds and stayed in my mind. Gail had a way of suggesting healthy habits conversationally and also led by example. That was always a relief that she wasn’t a nag or a health pusher. She just seemed to really enjoy healthy foods and it always made me curious. I think because it was an interest to Gail it had become a part of our troop culture. I remember even talking to one fellow Scout whose father worked as an executive of an artificial sweetener company. She told us her dad said it was bad and she wasn’t allowed to eat it or bring it in the house. Being exposed to the dialogue and health culture to consider what I eat gave me space to make up my own mind.

4. How did their lesson change your life?

It was years until I was ready to eat for health rather than entertain my tastebuds but when I did I thought of my Girl Scout leader who was always munching on a salad or trail mix. As a young adult my face suddenly began to have itchy, raised bumps which was new because I never had skin problems. I had tried new foods by this time but was still known to have the occasional ice cream or fast food for breakfast. I steadily became more healthy and due to the itchy bumps covering my face I began taking wheatgrass shots before my green juice. I did this consistently because I was so alarmed about the bumps on my face. The results were amazing…my skin really perked up and smoothed out. I am now completely submerged in raw smoothies with seeds, nuts and green ingredients — things I would never have eaten before that I now crave and seek for optimal health. I can’t say the wheatgrass tastes amazing but the woman who cultivated it cured her leg of gangrene; that goes a long way in my book.

5. Do you convey their message to kids in your life presently?

I remember offering to my niece a really ugly looking raw juice. By then I was used to drinking what looked like pond scum and would even invent funny for them. My niece, who had been teased about her weight, had a really hard time trusting it wasn’t going to be the end of her. She promised to be sick if she had to try it. I asked her to please try. We had that moment. I faced my disappointment that my favorite gal didn’t even want to try for auntie and she faced feeling like she disappointed me for not being more like me. I was just frustrated with myself wanting the best for her…I realized it was my form of worry. She impressed me with her communication skills. The next time she visited she was a little more open to eating more fruit (anything but that ugly juice). A teenage friend was just over and we shared one of my smoothies with raw cocoa, flax, chia and hemp seeds, Goji berries, Spirulina and cashews. She was familiar with most of the ingredients but really was enthusiastic about eating natural and organic. She responded well. I share my raw smoothie recipes via social media channels to inspire young relatives and other smoothie addicts. I still enjoy the funny names.

6. What would be your main message to children today to lead healthy lifestyles?

Good food will make you a winner at everything you do. It will make you feel good, strong and energized and it’s not just for your tastebuds. Unfortunately we adults have not learned not to put so much non-food substances in our food and snacks which is not good for our bodies so if you have to eat junk food, eat gourmet junk food. You should be able to pronounce all of the ingredients. Support food brands and farms that have a commitment to you being healthy and strong, that way the bad people won’t get rich at your expense because that’s just not nice and it’s not healthy.

7. Do you have a web site you would like to promote….web address only?

1. Your name, title, and age? What do you do (or did you do) for a living?

Rich Millar, Founder of HealthMovement.com, 31

I have worked in corporate wellness, done nutrition consulting, personal training, health coaching and most recently was working in Health Care Administration where I was the administrator of a 115 bed short-term, sub-acute rehab facility. I decided to leave that job to start Health Movement in hopes of helping others achieve a healthy lifestyle and prevent disease.

2. Who was the person that inspired you as a child to eat healthy and stay fit? What was their relationship to you?

My mom was actually the person who started me down a healthy path. From providing healthy foods and a healthy environment to encouraging me to be active and get enough rest. I owe my current health habits to my mom.

3. What did they do to inspire you?

Despite us being poor, she always made sure we had fruits and vegetables available and was always encouraging me to eat them. We always had dinner as a family and there was always a salad first and then one or two other veggies on the table. Additionally she encouraged me to “turn off the TV” and go outside and play as well as making sure I got enough rest each night.

4. How did their lesson change your life?

Well it set me on the path I’m still on. It instilled in me the desire and know how to be healthy and take care of my body. Which since then has provided me with countless opportunities from playing sports to enjoying nature and the outdoors and ultimately led me to this career path and wanting to start a health company to help others be healthy!

5. Do you convey their message to kids in your life presently?

Absolutely! I try and instill these same principles in kids today. From high school assemblies to the Boys & Girls club I try to volunteer my time to help kids understand what it means to be healthy and the tools they’ll need to be successful.

6. What would be your main message to children today to lead healthy lifestyles?

First and foremost, that there are lots of ways to be healthy and to find a way that fits their preferences and that they like. Second, that we were all built with different body types and will never all look the same. So their goal should be to be the healthiest for their body type, and to not judge others or compare themselves to others. And third, to focus on these 4 things: get daily proper sleep, exercise, nutrition and avoid drugs, tobacco and alcohol and you can reduce your risk of developing all chronic disease by up to 80%! Also that exercise doesn’t have to be in a gym or boring, it’s anything they enjoy that gets their heart rate and breathing up. And the two keys to nutrition are, 1) don’t overeat, stop before you’re full and 2) eat the right type of foods: veggies, fruits, nuts, whole grains, lean protein and drink lots of water. If they can do those two things most of the time, it’s okay to have a small treat
every day.

7. Do you have a web site you would like to promote….web address only?